In Qusayr, Signs of an Intensifying Holy War

The Remains of this Onetime Syrian-Rebel Stronghold Speak of Sectarian Wrath

WSJ's Sam Dagher took this footage from the war-torn city of Qusayr, Syria, a former rebel stronghold captured by the Assad regime and its ally, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Via #WorldStream

By

Sam Dagher

Updated June 6, 2013 8:12 p.m. ET

QUSAYR, Syria—A day after it fell to forces loyal to President
Bashar al-Assad,
the remains of this onetime Syrian rebel stronghold spoke of a battle as deep in sectarian wrath as it was in destructive power.

In a landscape of crumbling buildings, empty tank shells and shards of glass and rubble, looting was widespread Thursday. Locals and people who appeared to be pro-Assad soldiers and paramilitants hauled away furniture, electronics and cars toward the city of Homs, to the north, and in the direction of Lebanon, some 10 miles to the south.

What little order prevailed here appeared to be maintained by young fighters from Hezbollah—the Iran-backed Lebanese group that entered Syria to fight alongside government forces in the monthlong ground siege and bombardment that ultimately drove rebels from this strategic town Wednesday.

ENLARGE

The center of Qusayr on Thursday. Hezbollah militants there said they were attempting to head off looting.
Reuters

A four-hour walk in Qusayr revealed the freshest marks of a war that is inflaming Sunnis and Shiites across the region.

Rebels fighting here appeared to be under the sway of Jabhat al-Nusra, a Sunni militia that is linked to al Qaeda: Notices plastered on war-damaged mosques praised the group's defense of Qusayr. In the main Christian church, scenes of Christ's crucifixion, seen by many Muslims as blasphemous, had been ripped from paintings and altarpieces.

On Thursday, by contrast, Shiite religious chants blared from some of the Hezbollah vehicles roaming Qusayr. Graffiti praising holy Shiite figures believed to be persecuted by rival Sunnis more than 1,300 years ago was scrawled on buildings stormed by Hezbollah fighters, who played a leading role in planning and executing the Qusayr offensive.

ENLARGE

"Eliminating the terrorist gangs that are bleeding the nation and country is definitely worth our sacrifices," said one Hezbollah member, the leader of a squad of fighters in Qusayr. Dozens of group members were killed here, judging by funeral announcements by the group's media arm. The lives of these fighters, the squad leader said, are a small price to pay to counter the threat he said Sunni extremists pose to Syria and Lebanon.

That echoed statements by Hezbollah leader
Sayed Hassan Nasrallah,
who has justified his involvement in Syria by saying President Assad's opponents are a threat to the survival of his group and his Shiite constituency. The Syrian regime, dominated by the Shiite-linked Alawite minority, has long been a conduit of arms and logistical support for Hezbollah from their common ally, Iran.

Hezbollah fighters had remained largely out of the spotlight when pro-regime television channels rushed to Qusayr on Wednesday to broadcast images of the regime's victory, with government fighters shown celebrating under newly hoisted Syrian flags.

Syria in the Spotlight

Track the latest events in a map, see the key players and a chronology of the unrest.

But on Thursday, dozens of Hezbollah members in military fatigues similar to those worn by Syrian forces patrolled on foot and in SUVs. Most of the Lebanese fighters, who appeared to be in their late teens and 20s, tied yellow and green ribbons to their uniforms and rifles to distinguish themselves from their Syrian allies. Some tied red bandannas to their foreheads in an expression of Shiite fervor.

Moving along streets and alleyways littered with severed power lines and the rubble of buildings,the Hezbollah fighters often squared off against looters.

"Shame on you—don't you know this is someone else's property," the Hezbollah squad leader said to a man in a car-parts shop.

Related Video

"Put them back and get the hell out of here," the Hezbollah commander shouted. The man meekly walked away.

Other Hezbollah members watched as locals, as well as uniformed men they identified as belonging to the regime's myriad security apparatuses and loyalist paramilitary groups, crammed pickup trucks and minibuses with appliances and furnishings from homes and shops.

Related

Cars and trucks apparently belonging to Qusayr residents, and filled with more loot, were pulled behind vehicles using tow lines. A tow truck hauled off another car.

"Just to be clear, we have nothing to do with this. Hezbollah does not steal," said a fighter from the group. A few moments later, a man sped past on a motorcycle, a flat-screen television set balanced between his legs and the handlebars.

Many of the Hezbollah fighters praised the rebels' defense of Qusayr, saying they had set up four tiers of defenses, involving sand berms, booby traps and ambushes.

Some of the most intricate defenses were set up next to St. Elias, the town's main church. A section of St. Elias's wall appears to have been knocked down by a tank. Holes scarred the facade, dome and bell tower. The building's now-empty shell was littered with debris and defaced by anti-Assad graffiti.

Before fighting nearly emptied Qusayr of residents, the predominantly Sunni city of 60,000 people had a Christian minority estimated to number 10,000 people. Most of the Christians fled in February 2012 after Islamist fighters battled with several Christian families who supported the regime.

A Homs-based official with the United Nations Children's Fund, or Unicef, said about 6,400 residents fled Qusayr since the start of May and settled in camps in the nearby town of Hasyah.

About 1,000 rebels, activists and injured casualties evacuated Qusayr early Wednesday to Bweyda, a nearby village to the north, activists said. This exit took place after Syrian opposition leader
George Sabra
called Lebanese Druze leader
Walid Jumblatt
and asked him to intervene, according to Hezbollah supporters and people close to Mr. Jumblatt's political party. Mr. Jumblatt coordinated the safe passage with Hezbollah security chief
Wafiq Safa,
these people said.

No such deal was made, countered
Louay Almokdad,
a coordinator for the main rebel faction the Free Syrian Army. Mr. Almokdad said rebels retreated Wednesday because of the intensity of shelling on Qusayr's center. He said their retreat was "one phase in the guerrilla war" over the area.

"We have not struck any deal with Hezbollah," he said. "Killers do not deserve to be negotiated with."

—Nour Malas in Istanbul and Rima Abushakra in Beirut contributed to this article.

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.